Effect of stress on choline acetyltransferase activity of the brain and the adrenal of the rat

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity was determined in cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, hippocampus, cerebellum, medulla oblongata, midbrain and adrenal gland of rats exposed to acute or chronic stress. The exposure of animals to acute immobilization and cold stress (4°C) for one hour resulted in a significant decline of ChAT activity in all brain regions examined except for the medulla oblongata. Moreover, the exposure to acute stress resulted in significant increase of the same enzyme in the adrenal gland. However, chronic exposure of animals to cold stress (4°C) for 7 days resulted in no significant changes of ChAT activity in all tissues examined except for a decline in the midbrain and an increase in the medulla oblongata. The administration of corticosterone (2.0 mg/kg) 1 h prior to sacrificing caused an effect similar to that of acute stress on ChAT activity in all brain regions except for the hypothalamus and the cerebellum. It was concluded from this experiment that stress-induced changes in the ChAT activity of specific brain regions might be mediated by the adrenal steroids.This work was supported by a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NSG 2183 and NAG 2-411), a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH RR 0811) and a grant from the Division of Research Resources (NIH grant RR 03020).